Two black Facebook employees – Robert Baron Duffy and Robert Louis Gary of California have reportedly filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against Facebook.
Robert Baron Duffy, a former employee and Robert Louis Gary, current employee alleged that the facility manager at the office used ‘racial slurs when referring to black employees.’
‘The suit, filed on Tuesday in US District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges Facebook allowed ‘retaliation against the employees reporting discrimination to fester and continue’ at the facility despite their continued complaints,’ CNET reported.
‘The complaint asks for more than $25,000 in compensatory and punitive damages per plaintiff,’ the report added. The employees also claim that they were being paid less than other employees.
Facebook has responded to these complaints suggesting they are ‘claims without merit’ and that they have ‘investigated and taken quick action to terminate the manager’s employment and provided extensive anti-bias, anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training to all data centre employees nationwide.’
‘Additionally, we’ve continued to monitor the work environment at (the North Carolina facility), and all US data centres to ensure that improper behaviour is not repeated,’ the CNET report quoted Facebook as saying.
However, Sonya Smallets, lawyer representing Duffy and Garry says that Facebook has not responded properly.
‘Facebook didn’t respond properly to alleged discrimination at the North Carolina facility, which the plaintiffs say took place over a three-year period,’ she said.
